You are not a wave, you’re part of the ocean

As I stare out of my hotel room window looking out over the Mediterranean Sea I feel so peaceful and calm. I keep thinking of the story of the wave from Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.

“This is story about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air — until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.”

“‘My God, this is terrible,’ the wave says ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’”

“Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’ “

“The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’ “

“The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.’”

“Part of the ocean,” he says. “Part of the ocean.”

— Tuesdays with Morrie, page 179

When we are by the sea or ocean, on a mountaintop, or anywhere in nature, I think we all experience being part of something greater. Nature reminds us of the grandeur and magnificence of the universe.

We spend so much of our time in life building our ego, defining our boundaries and focusing on our differences. This makes us miserable, angry and lonely.

The lesson to learn from the waves crashing on the beach is that we are not defined by our differences nor our boundaries but we are special because we are part of a greater whole.

We are part of the greater ocean of life. As the ancient Vedic seers said — |Tat-Tvam-Asi| (Thou art that).

If we remember this more often we might find we are more at peace, more blissful and happy. This is something we can meditate on anywhere — in a traffic jam, in a queue, on the tube, in a meeting...

If that’s difficult to do amidst all the chaos, be sure to spend time periodically in nature — to disconnect from your gadgets and reconnect with the universe.